It depends. You use the word "due". If an employee has done all that was required, usually pursuant to a policy, prior practice or a contract, to be entitled to receive the bonus, then the employer may owe that bonus even if the employee was fired. On the other hand if the bonus was a discretionary bonus, then the employer is under no obligation to pay it or to keep employees around to receive it. In sum, the "it depends" turns on whether you have a written or otherwise provable right to the bonus. Given the size of this claim, it may be worth your while to buy an hour or two of an attorney's time and provide him or her with any documents or a description of any past practices regarding similar bonuses. In order to get the most bang for your attorney dollar, seek out an attorney who is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law that represents employees. The yellow pages of a major metropolitan area should provide some listings of board certified attorneys. Look them up on line before calling.
Good luck.
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